City event promotes commuting by bike

In Boston, which is often considered one of the worst cities for bikers, many said efforts like these are sorely needed.

Ben Eisen, Correspondent

Coming up

For those who want to start biking to work, the city will hold another Bike Friday event on Aug. 22. On Sept. 21, the city will organize Hub on Wheels, an annual bike ride through Boston. Check www.cityofboston.gov/bikes to find out how you can get involved.

Passersby looked on in wonderment last Friday morning as convoy after convoy of bicyclists rode through the streets of Boston on their way to City Hall, disrupting an unusually calm city streetscape. But the bicyclists — who had each started in one of six neighborhoods, including Allston-Brighton — couldn’t care less.

The participants were riding into town as part of Bike Friday, an effort organized by the mayor’s office to help promote alternative methods of getting to work. Participants met in their respective locations at 6:45 a.m., where they began riding towards Boston. In Allston-Brighton, bikers met at Oak Square, and picked people up along the way in Brighton Center, Allston Village, Kenmore Square and Back Bay.

Members of the Boston Police Department escorted each group so that they could bike in the street without having to worry about oncoming traffic. When they got to City Hall Plaza, a free breakfast and bike expo, sponsored by local bike shops and businesses, were waiting for them. In all, more than 190 people signed up for the event.

In Boston, which is often considered one of the worst cities for bikers, many said efforts like these are sorely needed.

“Only 1 percent of bikers commute into Boston,” said Nicole Freedman, the mayor’s director of bicycle programs, a former Olympic cyclist and one of the organizers of the event. “We want to reach out to people who like to bike and help them bike in. There are a lot of perceived and real fears, so we want to encourage people.”

And, it seems, many bikers took advantage of Bike Friday to try out commuting to work.

“I avoid [riding on] streets as much as possible. I don’t think there’s public awareness out there to look in the rearview mirror,” said Kelley Jage-Rosberg, who biked in from Allston-Brighton. “Something like this is great because it raised awareness.”

But on the whole, the event drew many experienced bikers as well. Eric Stratton, a bicyclist who works with Allston-Brighton Bikes, said he enjoyed his ride on Friday.

“I don’t feel like police are against cyclists, but cars take you more seriously if police are with you,” Stratton said. “I like seeing that the city supports cyclists.”

Allston-Brighton Bikes, which is a three-month-old program, works to educate people about bikes and bike safety, often distributing free bicycles and helmets throughout the city. The group’s founder, Chris Ditunno, who participated in Bike Friday as well, has hopes of expanding the program to partner with local schools.

“[Bike Friday] was really the first time I’ve ridden down Comm. Ave. during sunlight hours without having to worry about safety,” Ditunno said, adding that the event was “an important step towards a relationship with the Boston Police and drivers.”

Members of other organizations — such as Dotbikes, which works in Dorchester — were there as well.

Of course, the event also had its critics. Michael Maleson, a South End resident who considers himself an avid biker, said that despite events like these, the city still has a long way to go in order to truly be bike-friendly.

“The schedule to get things set up is absolutely ridiculous,” Maleson said, noting a 25-year plan for implementing bike lanes in Boston. He said that places such as Cambridge are way ahead of the curve in terms of making the city bike friendly.

For those who want to start biking to work, the city will hold another Bike Friday event on Aug. 22. On Sept. 21, the city will organize Hub on Wheels, an annual bike ride through Boston. Check www.cityofboston.gov/bikes to find out how you can get involved.